Bibliophile Support Group

Stardust is an adult fairytale by Neil Gaiman. When the beautiful, unattainable Victoria states that the only thing Tristran Thorne could do to win her hand would be to bring her the star they watched falling from the sky – Tristran is determined to do it. However, this means venturing beyond the relative normalcy of their village Wall and slipping into the unexplored, magical faerie land outside it. Past the ancient wall that has guarded their town from the oddities and dangers of the enchanted realm, Tristran must keep his head as adventures and perils meet him that he could never have imagined… Stardust was my first Neil Gaiman book! I’ve heard of Neil Gaiman forever – and being a lover of quirky, clever books I thought it was about time I tried him out. I have to say – Stardust was a bloody, unique, adventurous adult fairytale that was quite interesting and very good. I wouldn’t say it was as FANTASTIC as I expected – but that could be partially because of my high exp...

Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) is a YA contemporary novel by Amy Spalding. Catching her best friend and bandmate Lucy with fellow bandmate Nathan caused a ripple of shock in sixteen-year-old Riley and Reid. Suddenly painfully aware of their naiveté, lack of experience and romantic prospects, they strike a deal with each other. They will Make Something Happen and document their experience in a shared notebook. While Reid struggles with insecurity and the moral issue of pretending to want to adopt a dog to spend time with a girl who works at an animal shelter, Riley tries to figure out how to make progress with cute, quiet, possibly slightly nerdy Ted Callahan. Yet, when Riley is confronted with other cute boy options – how can she turn down the experience? But is she getting in over her head? Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) was a modern, fun book with, at times, laugh-out-loud first-person, present tense narration. Full of awkward brimming high school romanc...

Autumn Falls is a YA contemporary novel with a fantasy twist by Bella Thorne and Elise Allen. After a tragedy strikes sixteen-year-old Autumn and her family, their planned move to Aventura suddenly seems less traumatic, though still terribly difficult. Being the new girl with flaming red hair and a penchant for clumsiness, it’s not long before Autumn catches unwanted attention at her new high school. However, she also makes friends and all would be improving if it weren’t for the fact that the uber-popular queen bee seems to have a target on Autumn’s back, due to the fact that cute, sweet Sean seems to be possibly interested in Autumn. So, when Autumn begins to write her feelings into a journal from her late father and events begin to take place that seem eerily similar to personal wishes she’s jotting down… is it coincidence? Or is this her chance solve all her problems? Autumn Falls was a very quick read – and pretty entertaining! I wouldn’t say it was terribly origin...

Mistborn is the first book in the high fantasy epic The Final Empire trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Sixteen-year-old Vin knows that you cannot trust anyone. Her mother tried to kill her. Her brother abandoned her. And now, in order to survive, she works with a group of poor Skaa thieves – the group leader utilizing her as a sort of “good luck charm”, due to her strange ability to be able to make people less scrupulous than normal. Kelsier is a Mistborn that Snapped after a sequence of terrible incidents. Now he’s using his abilities and brash confidence to begin an uprising against the tyrannical thousand year reign of the Lord Ruler. But how do you get a people – the Skaa – to stand up and fight after they’ve no will to do so any longer? When Vin meets Kelsier, her life dramatically changes. She is roped into their planned rebellion – a scheme that is so outlandish to Vin she can hardly believe they’re attempting it – and is told that these odd powers she has are actually the re...

The Night Circus is a historical fantasy romance by Erin Morgenstern. When Prospero the Enchanter is presented in 1873 with a surprise, young daughter – possessing natural magical ability that is as of yet untrained – he sees a perfect opportunity for a new game. Reaching out another enigmatic man, they agree to terms and the competition selects a young orphan boy as his participator in the game. The two children grow up knowing very little of what the game means – no rules or clear instruction is given – and their preparation of their magical skills are very different. They do not even know who their opposition is. Then comes the venue: the night circus. A stunning, black-and-white feat of the imagination, the adult Celia and Marco are placed in their prospective positions – with still no understanding of what is expected of them. Yet it is a dark game – a game in which only one of the two can be left standing. They do not know this. But as Celia and Marco begin to fall...

The Dresden Files: Grave Peril is the third book in the adult urban fantasy series by Jim Butcher. To get the maximum reading enjoyment, I suggest reading these books in order – therefore reading Storm Front first and then Fool Moon . I wouldn’t say that this review will really spoil anything from the first two books, but you can never be too careful!!! Ghosts are going haywire lately. Becoming more menacing, more violent and more… more … Harry has his work cut out for him lately. Unfortunately it’s not the paying kind – it’s the moral wizard responsibility kind. But when Harry and Michael – a knight, literally – attempt to rid yet another location of an unruly ghost, it becomes clear that someone is causing this. Someone is stirring up trouble purposely. And the fact that many of the victims have ties to Harry cannot be ignored… As I’ve said before, I loved the TV show The Dresden Files – based on this book series. I’m still not feeling as much love for the book se...

Frostfire is a contemporary fantasy by Amanda Hocking, as well as the start of the Kanin Chronicles . As an outcast in the powerful troll tribe of Kanin, her half-breed heritage betraying Bryn with something as simple as her blonde hair, there has been one thing she has been determined to do: climb up the ladder of success as a tracker to eventually become one of the King’s Guard elite. When a shocking attempt on her father’s life occurs during her first official tracker duty, that aim is met with another strong aspiration – to catch, and potentially kill, Konstantin, whom before the startling incident was a rising star in the King’s Guard and a secret crush of Bryn’s. Now, four years later, Bryn and all of Kanin are rattled by the kidnapping of changelings. And when a connection to Konstantin is made, will Bryn sacrifice one of her goals for the other? Frostfire appears to be a spinoff of a successful prior Amanda Hocking series called the Trylle Trilogy . I have to say ...

The Season is a YA Regency-era romantic mystery by Sarah MacLean. It is time for seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford’s first season – and she is not pleased about it. Less than thrilled about dress fittings, balls and the generally encouraged feminine pursuits, Alex’s opinionated independence sets her apart. And she is not in the slightest bit interested in finding a husband. However, she and her close friends Ella and Vivi are thrust into the London season and manage to keep each other amused enough to prevent from being bored to death by the safe, respectable suitors being pressed upon them. Yet behind the scenes of the glamorous gowns, dances and dinner parties, there is espionage and murder occurring. Unintentionally finding themselves caught up in the intrigue, Alex, Ella and Vivi find their season turning far more interesting – and dangerous. And most unexpectedly yet – perhaps some true romance is around the corner also… The Season was a fun read! It’s ...